To quote a comment I read online, Lost in Austen, Episode Four was both brilliant and bonkers. And its 46 minutes sped by at turbo speed. In fact the episode felt so rushed that I knew after Amanda and Mr. Darcy stepped into modern London that there would not be enough time left for more than a summary wrap up, which is precisely what happened.
Jane and Bingley reunite, Mrs. Bennet acquires a backbone (and Mr. Bennet’s admiration), Lizzy gets her wish (with her father’s blessing), Amanda finds her true love, and … Charlotte remains lost in African limbo, we see Caroline Bingley flirting with George Wickham before riding off in a carriage, and Lydia seems completely unaffected by events, such as spending an unchaperoned night with Mr. Bingley. Click here to read Pop Sugar’s very detailed recap of the final episode.
Inside, crying. Outside, a happy face.
There seems to be two minds about this show out in the blogosphere: people either loved it or hated it. I, for one, wonder why ITV gave so much airtime to this series and so little to the three Jane Austen adaptations in 2007. Never mind. Here’s what The Culture Show had to say about the series:
And this series is science fiction – although with a more female bent than often is the case.
I’m not claiming that Lost in Austen is great art, but it is a well-acted and enjoyable series which imagines what the result might be if a reader were to enter the book and tried to influence events.
One must completely suspend disbelief when watching this show, otherwise one might be overly bothered by the contrived coincidences that push the plot forward. Mr. Wickham seems to pop up at just the right places at precisely the right time to help Amanda out of a pickle, and Amanda spots Mr. Darcy in that great and bustling metropolitis, London, with very little effort. While Mr. Darcy walks about a bit dazed in the 21st century, he does not seem overly inquisitive about his new surroundings.
Mr.Bennet duels Bingley
Lizzy (Gemma Arterton) relishes her life working as a nanny in London, turning appliances on and off, using her cell phone, and reducing her employers’ carbon footprints. One gets the sense from these scenes that quite a bit of time must have passed for Lizzy to become so comfortable and settled in the future. The dialogue remains sparkling and witty, and the roles are well acted, even though poor Elliot Cowan is made to move about like an automaton once he makes it to London. Mr. Bennet finally arrives on center stage, and Hugh Bonneville takes full advantage of his moments in the spotlight, stealing every scene he’s in.
Lizzy in the future
For those who were unable to watch the series, you can download ITV’s press pack and read detailed descriptions of each episode. Amazon.uk offers the DVD for sale for £11.98 at this link. During my travels I’ve discovered that my laptop will play just about any DVD from around the world, and so does my portable DVD player. And a comment left by Charley Brown on my Episode Three review will direct viewers to a link that leads to past episodes.
Kissing Mr. Darcy
I’m rather sad that this show has ended. I found it as addictive as a bucket of buttered popcorn. Once you get started, you can’t stop eating until every morsel is gone. And then you still look for more.
The End
Click on image.
[...] September 21, 2008 by Vic (Ms. Place) Warning about this review of the third episode of Lost in Austen: Spoiler Alert! In my defense, I’ve used the language that sits on ITV’s online press centre, which has been placed on the blogosphere for all to see. You can also read a synopsis of Episode Four at that link, and my review of Episode Four here. [...]
for anyone wanting to see Episode 4, there’s a link here:
http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/xnufz_MissSantay_lost-in-austen-e04
After seeing the conclusion, I’m still puzzled about Wickham. It somehow feels like they didn’t develop his story line completely. I loved seeing another side to him but I thought he would end up with Amanda and when that didn’t come to pass, I wanted to see more closure concerning his character.
I don’t know what anyone else feels about dastardly (or saintly) Wickham.
I agree, Charleybrown. Wickham’s story seems unfinished. He and Caroline Bingley shared a cryptic look and a smile, but then she rides off in a carriage, leaving us guessing. And what about her attraction to women?
The fourth episode should have been two hours long, and then it would have been less rushed and more loose ends would have been tied up. Wickham was one of the biggest delights and surprises of this series, though he had a habit of turning up at the most opportune times. I think Tom Riley was outstanding in the role. Hugh Bonneville as Mr. Bennet absolutely rocked in this episode, and I loved how Alex Kingston as Mrs. Bennet found her backbone when dealing with Lady Catherine.
Hear, hear – the ending got frantic as the script tried to cover all bases. They could have cut Lizzy right out as dramatically she wasn’t required, but her Nanny scene was too good. Amanda’s fate with Darcy or Wickam was expected – her creepy London boyfriend made me wince the whole time.
Emma is the other obvious novel for the Amanda treatment but I guess it was a toss-up which one to do.
Actually, I only tuned my ‘alt.binaries – - ‘ TV to this series to catch up on Rooper’s career after seeing her Famous Five performance back in 1996 as a kid. She’s put on a terrific Amanda which really anchored the whole film.
Even if you don’t like Austen on film, which I don’t, it’s obvious a huge, mostly successful effort has been made to parody a classic & Austen fans should at least see it once.
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Okay So this was quite addicting but it was so very rushed at the end. After the third episode I could not wrap my mind around how they would make all ends meet in just 1 last episode! So many questions left though!!! What does Lizzy do now??? Is there a new end for Mary? :o) And who is paying Amanda’s rent!
Great write up!! I enjoy this blog so much!
Lauren
[...] Update: Review of Episode Four [...]
[...] Brilliant and Bonkers, Episode Four [...]
Viewing in the States on Ovation Television. It seems there there are some very strange gaps perhaps created to allow for more advert time. For instance, did Amanda actually play and sing “Downtown”? Is it worth ordering DVD to fill in gaps?
I agree. Singing Downtown seems incongruous, doesn’t it? Try watching the production on Surf the Channel before ordering the DVD. That should answer your question.
Just finished watching the series here in in Florida, USA and really enjoyed it. (Enough that you find me surfing here to find out more about it–and not just to try and find out more about the dreamy actor who played Darcy, wink–What IS it about that character?!) I am the mother to two children under 5 and enjoy BBC dramas and series (usually exclusively on PBS) as a little mental vacation. I stumbled upon this serious flipping through channels on Ovation by delightful accident. What a lovely and fun little escape this was! I do agree that the ending was quite the whirlwind and left me wanting for more. But, swoon, the kiss sweeps away all other little bothers…
Nicole, I too am searching for more info after having seen the movie on Ovation TV. I must have rewound my DVR five times to make sure I didn’t miss something when Jane married Mr. Collins. I thought maybe it was dream sequence and that at any moment one of the characters was going to wake up from a nightmare. I have to admit I was pretty ticked off throughout episode 3 because I thought the show was so ridiculus and nothing was at all as it should be. Once I decided to just relax and accept this mess of a movie, I enjoyed the acting and the characters. I thought the movie was well cast. While episode 4 did move at warp speed, I was pleased with the conclusion. I wouldn’t have been pleased if Lizzy had ended up with Mr. Darcy. So as true in all Austen novels, love prevailed.
For those who missed pieces of the show on Ovation (which is when I saw it for the first time this weekend), Amanda singing Downtown and other pieces of the show are available on You Tube. You Tube!!!!
I agree with everyone, the show could have been 4 more hours longer. And alot more with Darcy and Amanda. But I still loved it.
[...] Jane Austen’s World: One, Two, Three, Four. [...]
I rented and watched Lost in Austen this weekend. I loved it and watched it three times. I actually had bought it from Amazon, but I couldn’t wait for it to come in the mail. (It came today) I had seen many clips on U-Tube and I wish they hadn’t deleted the scene where Amanda sings. I really like Elliot Cowan as Darcy, he showed so much more emotion whether anger, contempt, love, sadness. And Wickman was very likeable. My sister thought Amanda was going to wind up with him.
The “Downtown” singing scene is not on the US DVD version but I got to see it on Youtube. I’m assuming copyright considerations were the reason it wasn’t on the dvd. Was this scene on the British dvd?
Yes, it was on British t.v. and pretty funny, too.
So glad to have found your review. I agree with everything here, and my journal has a page of all the things I wish were included at the end becuase it was far too rushed and I felt like I didn’t have nearly enough satisfaction for where the main characters ended up, let alone for all the others. This could have easily been 6 episodes rather than 4, and I wish it was.
Amanda singing Downtown wasn’t shown on Australian TV either. Very disappointing, I felt like I was missing something – and even more so when I saw that the end credits still showed “Downtown, performed by Jemima Rooper” credit. Is it in the dvd version?
I adored Wickham in this, and after I went back and re-read Pride & Prejudice I somehow couldn’t dislike Wickham as much with Tom Riley’s cheeky smirk in my head!
I really loved this show, but as great as the ride was it was let down by the condensed round-up that was the ending. “Lost In Austen” is now in development as a feature film project, and one can only imagine how much less depth we’ll get from a less-than-2-hour film.
I can imagine that no one picked up on the best line in the 4th episode. I loved it when Darcy picks up the stuffed doll and states innocently, Tinky Winky. The double takes from both Amanda and Elizabeth are priceless. I loved it.
Also, thanks for clearing up the lost song. Since it’s referenced several times, I was at a lost as to what they were talking about. I watched on Ovation, is there an explanation of why it was omitted?
Does it not bother anyone else that the casting for Jane was done so poorly? She should be five times as attractive as any other Bennett daughter, according to Austen, which would make Bingley’s infatuation outside his social class understandable. Instead she was, excepting Mary, the least attractive of the Bennett girls. Or, at best, blond but hardly a great beauty.
Can anyone tell me where the scenes of Pemberly were filmed? The view from the terrace was fabulous and the house and gardens were breathtaking. It wasn’t listed in the credits.
Cindee
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I just devoured this series on Netflicks! My biggest question is HOW are Jane and Mr. Collins going to get an annulment, if Amanda stays with Darcy. Lady Catherine made it clear it was a condition! Other then that I loved the series.
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